Spielman Declares His Options

April 19, 2012, by 18 comments

The Vikings as an organization are suddenly faced with very limited options when it comes to their future inside the boundaries of the State of Minnesota.

The future of the roster, however, is one week away from getting a facelift and General Manager Rick Spielman admits that his options for the third overall selection have been narrowed to three:  tackle Matt Kalil, receiver Justin Blackmon, and corner Morris Claiborne.

Some might argue that Spielman listing those three players is actually an expansion of options, considering Matt Kalil is largely viewed as the only viable prospect to select at that point.

The Pioneer Press reports that the Vikings have given equal grades to all three of these prospects and have not yet decided on who they would select should they decide to stay put and not trade backwards.

“What you’re saying (to the staff) is, ‘All these guys have equal ability,’ ” Spielman said.  “What do you want? Do you want the receiver? Do you want the tackle? Do you want the corner?’”

The Vikings plan to “run the cards” on Wednesday, which essentially means everyone involved will take part in one giant mock draft and see some of the different ways things could play out on Draft Weekend.

Personally, I find it hard to believe that the Vikings would select anyone other than Kalil third overall.  The reason is simple:  a complete lack of red flags.  So, unless Kalil scored a “4” on his Wonderlic Exam or is a closet diva that got his wrist slapped by the NCAA, it should be fairly obvious who the choice is.

Still, there are some (like Adam Schefter) who believe the Vikings will choose someone other than the popular choice that has become Kalil.  If this actually happens, be ready for water cooler chat time at the office to look more like a demolition derby if you work in the Twin Cities.

Spielman did say that he has received some preliminary calls from other teams (which quite possibly means he hasn’t at all) regarding the possibility of the Vikings trading backwards.  Spielman, however, said he would wait until Thursday night to make any sort of decision about that topic.

How The Draft Gets Better

April 18, 2012, by 28 comments

It is no secret… We fans love us some NFL Draft.

We love it so much that some of us take time off from our jobs and family to watch.  We love it so much that we want to gather into a virtual chat room to discuss with others.  We love it so much that we spend roughly 11 months and 30 days discussing the next one.  We love it so much that we go to extensive lengths to try (always unsuccessfully) to predict the outcome. 

Here at VT, we love the NFL Draft so much that we put a ridiculous number of hours into making this your one stop shop for everything related to the event.

I love the Draft (as if you couldn’t tell) but if this report from PFT comes to fruition, I will love the Draft even more than I already do.

The NFL Network and ESPN, who both broadcast the live event, are supposedly in discussions with the league as to how they can eliminate the anticlimactic spoilers that come in the form of some announcer telling us who the pick will be prior to the official announcement or in the form of a cameraman capturing a prospect receiving a phone call five minutes before the pick is announced.

I have always hated the hell out of that trend, trying to be the first to tell us who is being drafted, as it just plain and simply isn’t as fun as the suspenseful walk to the podium and listening for that name you want to hear.

The Draft is always compared to Christmas amongst football fans.  Ever since this pre-announcement spoiler thing came about, it was still like Christmas… except Santa wrapped all the presents in see-through plastic wrap.

I really hope that the networks are able to come to an agreement for the sake of an improved viewer experience.

If they do, that is just one more reason to love the Draft and everything that comes with it.

Vikings Say “There Is No Next Year”

April 17, 2012, by 15 comments

While football enthusiasts eagerly await the shaping of the future that will be the 2012 NFL Draft, Vikings fans are not-so-suddenly having to consider the mortality of their entire franchise.

The most recent defeat of their Minneapolis stadium bill at the hands of a House committee is sending shockwaves through the Vikings fanbase, and those shock waves seem likely to continue as the rhetoric becomes increasingly harsh.

While Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton was forced to put his tail between his legs and nearly concede that his plan failed, he wants the Vikings to be patient and stick around for another year.

The Vikings don’t sound like they are in the sticking around mood these days.

“There is no next year.”

Those five words, uttered by a team official, should resonate with us Vikings fans.

“The last governor said in 2006 we’ll come back and work on yours next year. That was six years ago,” said Lester Bagley, Vikings vice president of public affairs and stadium development. “No action this year is a decision.”

It is not super clear whether or not there is any glimmer of hope for the stadium bill still pressing through this year, but optimism seems to have faded from all the public speeches being given.

The Vikings, under the watchful eye of Zygi Wilf, have been pretty darn nice about this whole thing without ever implying relocation as an option.  The gloves are off now, and it is likely that we will see plenty of quotes from Vikings officials threatening a move to L.A.

If we don’t see those quotes, then we should all be worried… because that means they have already made up their mind.

Initial Reaction To The 2012 Schedule

April 17, 2012, by 5 comments

After having roughly 30 seconds to digest the Vikings regular season schedule, I wanted to pass along some of my initial thoughts.  Be sure to chime in yourself in the comments section!

Don’t Sleep In!:  Not too surprisingly, the 2012 schedule makers didn’t see the Vikings as an attractive option for prime time matchups.  In fact, the only nighttime game scheduled is the week 8 game against Tampa.  That will be on the NFLN’s Thursday Night Football.  13 of their games are scheduled to be played in the early time slots.

Hopes Up:  Jacksonville and Indianapolis aren’t exactly the world’s most dangerous football teams.  Even with the additions of high draft picks, such as Andrew Luck, the Vikings might be able to get our hopes up by starting the season 2-0 against a soft beginning to the schedule.

Resting Late:  The Vikings have a week 11 bye week.  I personally like the late byes, as that is when most rosters could really use the opportunity to rest and heal. 

In The Hunt Until Late:  Things would have to go very poorly for the Vikings in the first half of the season in order for us to feel fully eliminated from the playoffs heading into week 10.  Of the last seven games of the season, five of those will be played against divisional opponents.  Beating our NFC North foes is the best way to climb into playoff contention, so hope is likely to cling for quite some time this season.

Bring Your Boot Warmers:  In the winter months of November and December the Vikings will be playing outdoor football at Seattle, Chicago, and Green Bay.  This equates to a pretty darn good chance that they will need to prepare themselves for some cold old fashioned snow bowls. 

Last Ever?:  The Vikings are not expected to be playoff contenders.  They also aren’t expected, at this point, to have a stadium deal in place in 2012.  That could (could) mean that the December 30th game would be the last Vikings game ever to be played in Minnesota.  Who do we play?  The Packers.  How nice.

Your 2012 Minnesota Vikings NFL Schedule

April 17, 2012, by 8 comments

Today, the NFL announced their 2012 Regular Season Schedule.

Of course, and as always, we are focused on the Minnesota Vikings and here is what 2012 looks like for our favorite team:

1 Sep 09 JAC @ MIN Mall of America Field 1:00 PM Tickets CBS      
2 Sep 16 MIN @ IND Lucas Oil Stadium 1:00 PM Tickets FOX      
3 Sep 23 SF @ MIN Mall of America Field 1:00 PM Tickets FOX      
4 Sep 30 MIN @ DET Ford Field 1:00 PM Tickets FOX      
5 Oct 07 TEN @ MIN Mall of America Field 1:00 PM Tickets CBS      
6 Oct 14 MIN @ WAS FedExField 4:15 PM Tickets FOX      
7 Oct 21 ARI @ MIN Mall of America Field 1:00 PM Tickets FOX      
8 Oct 25 TB @ MIN Mall of America Field 8:20 PM Tickets NFLN      
9 Nov 04 MIN @ SEA CenturyLink Field 4:05 PM Tickets FOX      
10 Nov 11 DET @ MIN Mall of America Field 1:00 PM Tickets FOX      
12 Nov 25 MIN @ CHI Soldier Field 1:00 PM Tickets FOX      
13 Dec 02 MIN @ GB Lambeau Field 1:00 PM Tickets FOX      
14 Dec 09 CHI @ MIN Mall of America Field 1:00 PM Tickets FOX      
15 Dec 16 MIN @ STL Edward Jones Dome 1:00 PM Tickets FOX      
16 Dec 23 MIN @ HOU Reliant Stadium 1:00 PM Tickets FOX      
17 Dec 30 GB @ MIN Mall of America Field 1:00 PM Tickets FOX

Should We Be Concerned About Harvin?

April 17, 2012, by 16 comments

Jeremy Fowler of the Pioneer Press reported this morning that Percy Harvin has yet to reschedule the surgery he was originally supposed to have last week. Fowler then went on to say, “However, Vikings feel there’s still time for Harvin to undergo surgery to remove bone spurs and return in time for workouts in late May.”

Should there be any reason for concern?

Personally, I have a bad feeling about the whole thing. As soon as I heard Percy was going to be having surgery this offseason, regardless of how minor, I knew it could turn into a bigger issue than originally estimated. Now, we’re finding out that what was supposed to be a simple procedure with a quick recovery time isn’t even currently on his schedule. And, on top of all that, there is also the timing of the Florida story which Harvin found himself a focal point of. (It should also be noted that, while ex-Florida coaches have come to the defense of Harvin, Vikings coaches have yet to do so.)

At this point, there really isn’t anything to suggest that Harvin will miss offseason training or any actual games. But with Harvin’s injury riddle-past and tendency to miss offseason training and playing time, I can’t help but be a little nervous. A healthy Percy Harvin is incredibly important to the success of the 2012 season. He is a weapon we can’t afford to have miss playing time. In a season that is all about the development of Christian Ponder and gauging what his future is with the Vikings, he needs to have all the targets he can.

We’ll be monitoring this story throughout the offseason and will make sure to keep you all updated with the latest findings. In the meantime, though, what do you all think? Are you nervous? Is there nothing to worry about here? Let us know in the comments.

Inside Our War Room: The Risks Continue

April 17, 2012, by 5 comments

(Note: This is a continuation of a series where we take you inside our War Room for the #MockOne draft series. This particular version is for #MockFour. If you are unfamiliar with what it is all about, you should probably start off by reading about what we did in the previous #MockThree. For prior #MockFour posts, check out #MockFour Begins.)

Round 1
Trade – Vikings 1.03 for Rams 1.06, 2.07 and 4.01
1.06 – Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State
Trade – Vikings
1.29 – Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford

Our first pick of the second round was incredibly difficult. Our war room was essentially tossing and turning between to particular prospects. While both would fill a position of need, they each had qualities that made them drastically different. Player one, while the much safer choice, would provide an immediate upgrade to arguably our weakest area. Player two is potentially a top-10 talent who has some major character concerns that caused his draft stock to drop significantly. I’ll cut straight to the point and tell you who we took then provide some more insight and reasoning. (You’re probably going to want it.)

With the 3rd pick in the 2nd round of the 2012 #MockFour draft…

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